When I first started blogging I "graded" books. Since I was a teacher I thought I'd use letter grades, so I'd give a book an A, B, C etc. I only did this a little while until I stopped. I just didn't like the system. Lately tho, I've been thinking about using some sort of ratings - like the 5 Stars system. Of course I'd like to link it to owls :)
The question is - do you like when reviewers rate the book? Weirdly even though I don't use them, I do look at them. Sometimes that's the first thing I'll look for, and that decides if I'll really read the review closely. If their rating is different from what I would've given it, or from other reviews I've seen I really want to read and find out why. I also like that it gives me a quick snap shot of their thoughts.
One reason why I don't use them - I review for my students and I don't want them to not read a book because I gave it a 3 out 5 stars or something. But I'm open to using them if a lot of my followers would like to see them.
Please take the poll on the right and/or comment on this post. Thanks!!!!!
I think that little owls would be such a cute rating system but I voted no on your poll. I follow a lot of blogs that use stars. Sometimes I agree with the number of stars, sometimes not. But, I do see a ton of 5 star reviews that don't seem to merit 5 stars. I mean, what is wrong with 3 stars? One can't love everything that comes along.
ReplyDeleteI've also seen reviews that receive five stars, but then the reviewer found lots in the book to be critical about. So, I glance at the stars, but will read the review. I'm glad that you stopped "grading" the books. I follow a few blogs that do that and find annoying and a bit presumptive. I mean, the authors have already been to school. The work has been through the editorial wringer.
My two cents. Happy reading!
brenda
I don't personally use a rating system on my blog because my feelings often change over time. I don't mind them on other blogs and I certainly pay attention to them, but I can generally feel out how a person feels about a book by reading the review. Either way, I think it's up to YOU. It's YOUR blog, so do what you want! :)
ReplyDeleteRight now I'm a bit iffy on my rating system. I do rate books from 1-5 since I like looking for those on other reviews. It is one of the first things I look for in a review. Sometimes it can get messy but they're always fun to see how we rate the same books.
ReplyDeleteI use to rate books with the 1-5 star rating but I found it hard to rate because ratings are so subjective. Sometimes I wonder if I should go back to it.
ReplyDeleteI love when people have visual ratings of books, especially if they're theme-related. I find myself debating this too, though, since I currently use letter grades but I find that I give a whole bunch of similar letter grades in a row and they just don't mean anything anymore, you know? I'm currently toying with going to a Bottom Line type thing at the end of a review where I sum up the experience of reading the book in a sentence or two. The jury's still out though.
ReplyDeleteAlso, owl graphic raters would be amazing. :D
I love ratings. It helps me understand what the reviewer/blogger feels.
ReplyDelete